Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 3/4 lb ground Italian sausage (sweet recommended)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (some halved, some whole)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt (more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper (more to taste)
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 3/4 lb penne (or similar tube shape)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup finely-shredded Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan)
- Fresh basil chiffonade (to serve and to taste)
Brown the Sausage
Heat a large sauté pan on the stove over medium heat; add the 3/4 lb of ground sausage.
Cook, breaking the sausage into smaller crumbles, until completely cooked through – this usually takes ~8-10 minutes.
Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside; carefully wipe out the pan to be used again.
Cook the Aromatics and Tomato Paste
Add the 3 Tbsp of olive oil to the now-empty pan, still over medium heat.
Add the 1/2 diced onion and sauté for ~4 minutes; then add the 4 cloves of minced garlic for 1 minute more.
Add the 1 1/2 Tbsp of tomato paste to the pan and cook for ~3 minutes, working it into the onion and garlic with your spoon.
The paste will darken slightly and smell sweeter once it’s cooked down properly.
Burst the Cherry Tomatoes
Add the 1 1/2 pints of cherry tomatoes to the pan; season with the 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
Cook for ~8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally as they burst.
Near the end you can press them against the side of the pan with your wooden spoon to help them along if they’re being stubborn.
Simmer the Sauce with Crushed Tomatoes and Vodka
Pour in the can of crushed tomatoes and the 1/3 cup vodka.
Adjust the heat to bring everything to a boil; then add the cooked sausage back to the pan and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for ~25-30 minutes.
Stir fairly often to prevent the sauce and sausage from sticking and burning along the bottom.
Partially cover the pan to contain splatter but leave a gap open so steam can escape and the sauce can thicken.
Boil the Penne
Meanwhile, set a large pot of salted water to boil; then add the 3/4 lb of penne.
Cook according to the package directions for al dente – for most penne this is ~7-8 minutes.
Reserve a ladle of the starchy pasta water at the end if you want to thin the sauce, but I find it has plenty of volume without it.
Finish the Sauce and Combine
Once the sauce has simmered, reduce the heat to low and stir in the 3/4 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano.
Continue to cook for a few minutes to finish thickening to your liking.
Drain the pasta and stir into the sauce along with fresh basil to taste.
Penne alla Vodka with Sausage
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 3/4 lb ground Italian sausage, sweet recommended
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, some halved, some whole
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt, more to taste
- 1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper, more to taste
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 oz
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 3/4 lb penne, or similar tube shape
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup finely-shredded Pecorino Romano, or Parmesan
- Fresh basil chiffonade, to serve and to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and brown the ground sausage, breaking it into crumbles, until cooked through about 8-10 minutes.
- Transfer sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and wipe out the pan.
- Add olive oil to the pan and sauté the diced onion for 4 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook 3 minutes until darkened and fragrant.
- Add cherry tomatoes, salt, and pepper, cooking 8-10 minutes while stirring occasionally and pressing them against the pan to burst.
- Pour in crushed tomatoes and vodka, then return sausage to the pan.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring often and partially covering with a gap for steam to escape.
- Meanwhile, boil salted water in a large pot and cook penne according to package directions for al dente, about 7-8 minutes.
- Drain pasta and set aside.
- Reduce sauce heat to low and stir in heavy cream and Pecorino Romano, cooking a few minutes more to thicken.
- Stir in drained pasta and fresh basil to taste.